Introduction

Sustainability is one of four underpinning themes in Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA). This briefing aims to:

• show how local authorities and their local strategic partnership (LSP) partners can take the CAA’s underpinning theme of sustainability into account in their current and future work
  
  
• to demonstrate the value of doing so through improving performance in relation to sustainability and the eleven sub-themes in the CAA area assessment

It has been designed primarily for corporate policy and performance officers in local government but will also be useful to other council officers, councillors and LSP partners. It will also act as an aide-memoire for CAA Leads in the CAA inspectorates to help inform CAA judgements.

The briefing has been developed by CAG Consultants on behalf of the Improvement Network with the involvement of the Audit Commission and LG Improvement and Development (formerly IDeA).

Please note that this resource is being reviewed in response to the abolition of CAA in May 2010.